'Best of TBH Politoons'
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Ronald Bailey: The Secrets of Intangible Wealth (reason.com)
A Mexican migrant to the U.S. is five times more productive than one who stays home. Why is that?
Jim Hightower: IT'S GUT-CHECK TIME FOR CONGRESS (jimhightower.com)
In another of his ever-changing rationales for his Iraq war, George W has bizarrely proclaimed that this conflagration is like the Vietnam War - a comparison he had spent the previous four years heatedly rejecting!
Jason Gross: Fiona Apple and the horrors of OCD (popmatters.com)
... real OCD is, as Apple herself pointed out, a debilitating problem that can ruin your life. She explained that there are days when she focuses solely on a certain shape or a certain color and has to have everything around her organized that way. She also admitted that the time and effort that this takes eats into what could be her creative time, robbing her of being able to make new songs and more importantly, relax and enjoy her life.
No pain, no gain (guardian.co.uk)
We are often told that light activities such as walking and housework are enough to keep us fit. Sadly, it's just not true. Sam Murphy investigates.
DATING TIPS (andrewtobias.com)
What am I doing wrong? Okay, I'm tired of beating around the bush. I'm a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I'm articulate and classy. I'm not from New York. I'm looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don't think I'm overreaching at all.
Joseph V. Amodio: Cate Blanchett returns as Queen Elizabeth I in 'The Golden Age' (popmatters.com)
Still, one big question remains about the great Virgin Queen: Was she ... really? "Not the way I play her," Glenda Jackson told a reporter in 1972.
I'm considering a revolution' (guardian.co.uk)
She started gigging at nine and launched her own label at 20 - folk singer Ani DiFranco is a forthright, feminist force of nature. Four million records and one child later, she is as outspoken as ever, writes Kira Cochrane.
The Best of TV on DVD: The New Networks (popmatters.com)
Includes "Buffy," of course.
Reader Comment
Christian Clown In Perv Bust
An Illinois man who worked as a "Christian clown" named Klutzo
was arrested yesterday on child pornography charges for allegedly taking
naked photographs of young boys at a Philippines orphanage. According to a
federal criminal complaint, Amon Paul Carlock took the illicit photos
during a "clowning" trip to the House of Joy orphanage earlier this year. The Smoking Gun
KLUTZO'S KORNER (A Family Friendly Website)
KLUTZO AT PLAY
Take Care,
KevKev in Apache Junction, Arizona
Thanks, KevKev!
Reader Correction
Contemptible Wanker
Purple Gene wrote: "WANKER"
"A worthless contemptable person or one who constantly masturbates."
Marty, that "Contemptible" person is spelled with an "i" just proving that ALLEGED wankers can't spell, hahaha.
Sally P
PS I'm SURE you did that on purpose just to be sure that we are reading today's offering!
PPS I too use a dial-up service, and am NEVER able to upload anything... Really sucks, huh?
:)
Thanks, Sally!
PURPLE GENE'S WEIRD WORD OF THE WEEK -
Corrected Re-CorrectedWANKER
"WANKER"
ON LINE DEFINITION: A worthless contemptible person or one who constantly masturbates.
ON THE STREET: A British slacker who beats off in a burned out sub-let in London to the beat of the "Clash" .....all the while shooting heroin like Sid Vicious.
IN A SENTENCE: "Bullocks ya Wanker......you know I was so bored once, I fucked a dog..." (Sid Vicious from "Sid And Nancy" (1986)
(Read BartCop Entertainment and learn a useless new word each Tuesday)
Reader Correction
Sid Vicious Quote
I think Sid said "Bollocks ya Wanker" not "Bullocks ya Wanker"
Being a Limey I've never heard the 'o' turned into a 'u'.
Paul of Seattle
Thanks, Paul!
Some of us remember Bullocks as a fabulous upscale department store in southern California that was merged out of existence in the 90s.
San Francisco Update
The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon is back at John's Grill
Reader Observation
'diamerdis'
diamerdis
n. a man who is covered in feces
I found this word and its definition on the interwebs, and for some reason it reminds me of someone.............
..............Can't quite put my finger on it.....................
A-HA!!!!!
Vic
In Alaska
Thanks, Vic!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and cool with a nice breeze.
Not A Fan Of Kool-Aid
Jimmy Carter
The U.S. tortures prisoners in violation of international law, former President Jimmy Carter said Wednesday, adding that President Bush makes up his own definition of torture.
"Our country for the first time in my life time has abandoned the basic principle of human rights," Carter said on CNN. "We've said that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to those people in Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo, and we've said we can torture prisoners and deprive them of an accusation of a crime."
Bush, responding to an Oct. 4 report by The New York Times on secret Justice Department memorandums supporting the use of "harsh interrogation techniques," defended the techniques Friday by proclaiming: "This government does not torture people."
Carter said the interrogation methods cited by the Times, including "head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures," constitute torture "if you use the international norms of torture as has always been honored - certainly in the last 60 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was promulgated.
"But you can make your own definition of human rights and say we don't violate them, and you can make your own definition of torture and say we don't violate them," Carter said.
Jimmy Carter
Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron has an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award. Now she's Esquire magazine's "sexiest woman alive."
Past winners of the title include Jessica Biel, Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson. The issue featuring Theron hits newsstands Oct. 16.
Theron talked with the magazine about growing up on a farm, her political interests and her work, including her latest movie, "In the Valley of Elah," a murder mystery set among U.S. troops newly returned from Iraq.
Charlize Theron
Auctions `Easy Rider' Memorabilia
Peter Fonda
The American flag taken from the back of the jacket worn by Peter Fonda in "Easy Rider" has sold for $89,625 at an auction of the actor's memorabilia from the iconic 1969 movie.
The Rolex watch that Fonda wore in the film was also part of the auction last weekend at Dallas' Heritage Auction Galleries. The prototype watch sold for $33,460.
Aside from items offered by the 67-year-old Fonda, the auction included memorabilia related to Peter Frampton, Elvis Presley and Abbott and Costello.
Peter Fonda
Search for Common Ground Award
'Little Mosque on the Prairie'
"Little Mosque on the Prairie," a Canadian sitcom about a Muslim community in a fictional town in central Canada, is getting the Search for Common Ground Award.
The CBC show follows a small group of Muslims in a Saskatchewan town and tackles the treatment of 800,000 Muslims in Canada and some 6 million in the United States since the terrorist attacks of 2001.
The award, which will given to the show Nov. 6 in New York, aims to recognize individuals and organizations that find common ground between those in conflict.
Past recipients have included Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu, former President Jimmy Carter, newsman Ted Koppel, retired heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
'Little Mosque on the Prairie'
Hospital News
Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown spent a night in the hospital after suffering a mild heart attack, his attorney said Wednesday.
Brown had severe chest pains Tuesday night and was taken to two hospitals. He was admitted to Tarzana Regional Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley.
"This morning they did diagnose him as suffering from a mild heart attack ... they attributed (it) to stress and diet," said his attorney, Phaedra Parks, in Atlanta.
Bobby Brown
Denies Heart Attack
Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown denied Wednesday that he had a mild heart attack, something his attorney said earlier he had suffered this week in Los Angeles. The 38-year-old singer told Associated Press Radio that he is feeling fine and went to the hospital just for a checkup.
"None of it's true," Brown said. "I went in for a checkup. The doc gave me a clean bill of health."
His account differed from that of his Atlanta attorney, Phaedra Parks, who earlier in the day told The Associated Press that Brown had severe chest pains Tuesday night and was taken to two hospitals.
Bobby Brown
Fairplay Sues
Danny Bonaduce
Former "Survivor" contestant Jonny Fairplay sued Danny Bonaduce, alleging battery and emotional distress after Bonaduce tossed Fairplay over his shoulder at an awards show.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, also names the producers of the awards show, the Fox Reality Channel.
After an investigation, the district attorney's office decided not to press charges against Bonaduce.
Bonaduce did not intentionally injure Fairplay and his "actions fell within the realm of self-defense," Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Boxer wrote last week.
Danny Bonaduce
Gets 6 Months
Michelle Rodriguez
Former "Lost" star Michelle Rodriguez was sentenced Wednesday to six months in jail for failing to complete community service and alcohol monitoring as part of her probation from a previous drunk driving incident.
Rodriguez appeared before Superior Court Judge Daviann L. Mitchell, who ordered her to report to the county jail on Christmas Eve, the city attorney's office said.
Rodriguez "admitted violation of her probation by failing to provide proof of community service and by consuming alcohol three times while wearing an alcohol monitoring device," City Attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan said.
"She did file a document that said she completed community service on September 25th, but we obtained evidence that she was in New York that day," Mateljan said.
Michelle Rodriguez
Hospital Scapegoat
George Clooney'
More than two dozen hospital staffers have been suspended for four weeks after allegedly peeking at George Clooney's confidential medical information after he was hurt in a motorcycle accident last month.
No physicians employed by the hospital were among the 27 employees suspended, said Eurice Rojas, the hospital's vice president of external affairs, Wednesday.
The investigation was initiated after an audit revealed that employees had looked at the records without authorization, Rojas said. The suspensions began last week and continued this week, he said.
"This is the first I've heard of it," Clooney said in a statement Tuesday. "And while I very much believe in a patient's right to privacy, I would hope that this could be settled without suspending medical workers."
George Clooney'
Hospital News
David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff was released from a hospital Wednesday after being treated for alcoholism, his publicist said. "David had a brief relapse and immediately recognized the importance of addressing it with the assistance of his doctors," Judy Katz said in a statement.
The 55-year-old actor had gone to the hospital Tuesday, she said.
David Hasselhoff
In Fox's Future
'Nothing But the Truth'
The hit game show "Nothing But the Truth" has been canceled after a contestant won $25,000 for admitting she hired someone to kill her husband.
Tuesday was the final day for the show, in which contestants attached to a lie-detector machine answered 21 increasingly invasive questions to win up to $50,000.
A U.S version called "Moment of the Truth" is still expected to be launched on Fox in the coming months, along with spin-offs in England, Australia, Germany, Italy and Spain, according to Howard Schultz, the Los Angeles-based creator of the show.
On the Colombian version, dollar-desperate contestants confessed everything from drug smuggling to homosexual prostitution before a studio audience packed with unsuspecting loved ones.
'Nothing But the Truth'
Full Season Pickup
'Gossip Girl'
The CW's "Gossip Girl" has become fall's first new series to get a full-season pickup.
The network has picked up the "back-nine" episodes of the poorly rated drama series, bringing its total order to 22 episodes.
'Gossip Girl'
German Lab Spoils Footage
'Valkyrie'
A key scene in the Tom Cruise World War II thriller "Valkyrie" will have to be re-shot after footage was damaged in processing.
"Valkyrie" director Bryan Singer and producer United Artists had to spend months negotiating with German authorities to get permission to shoot at a key historical site in Berlin, the Bendler-Block, where von Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators plotted to kill Hitler and where they eventually were executed.
But some of the Bendler-Block footage was damaged during processing at a film lab in Munich.
A UA spokesman said the damage was not extensive and the re-shoot would not have any effect on the film's production schedule or budget.
'Valkyrie'
Coveted Batman Comic
Detective Comics 27
Holy collectibles, Batman! A near-mint copy of Detective Comics 27, a pre-World War II comic featuring Batman's debut, was recently found in an attic and sold to a local collector.
The comic is considered to be the second-most valuable available and can fetch up to $500,000. The only comic considered more valuable is Action Comics 1, where Superman makes his first appearance.
Collector Todd McDevitt said the Batman issue he bought is worth about $250,000, but he won't say how much he paid for it or who sold the book to him.
When the seller walked in with the Batman issue, "my eyes almost popped out of my head," McDevitt said. "I guess I should have been more reserved, but I'm not a very good poker player."
Detective Comics 27
Fox Reviving Failed Sitcom As Cartoon
'The Pitts'
Fox is stocking up on dysfunctional animated families for next season, including a project about the unluckiest family in the world.
If that sounds familiar, it is. The network is developing a cartoon version of "The Pitts," a sitcom that aired for four weeks in March 2003 before being canceled.
But its creators, "Simpsons" veteran Mike Scully and his wife, Julie Thacker-Scully, never lost faith in the project and kept bringing it back in pitch meetings.
Fox has ordered two scripts, and is casting the project for a table read. If that goes well, "Pitts" will be ordered straight to series, bypassing the lengthy development process.
'The Pitts'
Championship Nears
Rock, Paper, Scissors
It's that time of year again, when paper envelops rocks, scissors splice paper and rocks make mince meat of scissors. Yes, it's the World Rock, Paper, Scissors Championships.
The annual contest will be held Saturday in Toronto, where a highly eccentric group of competitors will descend with varying methods and strategies. You might remember Bart's simple approach on "The Simpsons": "Good old rock."
But the world of Rock, Paper, Scissors enthusiasts is much more complicated, a truth quickly grasped at the Web site for the World RPS Society. With a name that makes a kid's game sound like a parlor pastime of great tradition, the World RPS Society bears the slogan: "Serving the needs of decision makers since 1918."
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Nielsen Cable
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Oct. 1-7. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses.
1. NFL Football: Patriots vs. Bengals (Monday, 8:30 p.m.), ESPN, 8.64 million homes, 11.83 million viewers.
2. MLB Division Series: Indians vs. Yankees, Game 3 (Sunday, 6:39 p.m.), TBS, 6.08 million homes, 8.46 million viewers.
3. MLB Division Series: Yankees vs. Indians, Game 2 (Friday, 5 p.m.), TBS, 5.51 million homes, 7.58 million viewers.
4. MLB Division Series: Yankees vs. Indians, Game 1 (Thursday, 6:41 p.m.), TBS, 5.07 million homes, 6.68 million viewers.
5. MLB Division Series: Angels vs. Red Sox, Game 2 (Friday, 9:36 p.m.), TBS, 4.79 million homes, 6.39 million viewers.
6. MLB Division Series: Angels vs. Red Sox, Game 1 (Wednesday, 6:29 p.m.), TBS, 4.15 million homes, 5.46 million viewers.
7. MLB Division Series: Cubs vs. Diamondbacks, Game 1 (Wednesday, 10 p.m.), TBS, 3.85 million homes, 5.13 million viewers.
8. MLB Division Series: Diamondbacks vs. Cubs, Game 3 (Saturday, 6 p.m.), TBS, 3.43 million homes, 4.67 million viewers.
9. MLB Division Series: Phillies vs. Rockies, Game 3 (Saturday, 9:33 p.m.), TBS, 3.18 million homes, 4.48 million viewers.
10. "WWE Entertainment" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.14 million homes, 4.76 million viewers.
11. MLB Division Series: Red Sox vs. Angels, Game 3 (Sunday, 3:01 p.m.), TBS, 3.11 million homes, 4.20 million viewers.
12. "The Hills" (Monday, 10 p.m.), MTV, 3.02 million homes, 3.86 million viewers.
13. "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (Thursday, 10 p.m.), USA, 2.99 million homes, 3.76 million viewers.
14. "WWE Entertainment" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 2.98 million homes, 4.46 million viewers.
15. MLB Division Series: Cubs vs. Diamondbacks, Game 2 (Thursday, 10:22 p.m.), TBS, 2.92 million homes, 3.74 million viewers.
Ratings
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